Mali, Think of the Children

When I was 5-years-old, I didn’t have many fond memories of doing manual labor such as the handling of mercury, which from I understand is a toxic substance to humans, in artisanal gold mines. But many children in Mali do have that luxury since roughly “half of Mali’s children perform hazardous labor – work that is likely to harm their health, safety, or morals.”

While the Malian government may have adopted the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labor, which looks good on paper, the gesture will be empty unless the government actually enforces this plan for protecting children working in Mali.